I have a Tin Lizzie 18, and love it. Customer service is also great, and they have the parts lists free on their website. The good news is that it's a very basic, but well made machine. There's not a lot that can go wrong with them.
As far as other machines...I was told on the TL forum that my model of TL is the same as the Viking 18-8...and there are other machines out there, but I'm not sure which they are.. sewingmachinesplus.com has them, and they ship free..so that's a consideration, as mine weighs 78 pounds!
The only downside that I can see with them, is finding a dealer to service them...I'm in Upstate N.Y., and the closest one is 4 hours 1 way...if you live in a more populated area, you may have better luck. You can enter your zip on their website and see where your closest dealers are. On the other hand, they are very simple to clean, oil, and maintain yourself, and any sewing machine tech can adjust the tension, replace belt, etc..mine is 20 years old this year, and all I've ever had to replace was a belt about 3 years ago, and a spring just a month ago.
Good Luck to you, and enjoy whatever machine you get!